1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection structure for connecting two openings in and out of which a fluid flows by a rigid connecting pipe and also to an inverter that utilizes the connection structure.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been a common practice to connect two openings in and out of which a fluid flows by a rigid connecting pipe. For example, an opening of a cooler, such as an inverter cooler or a motor cooler, is connected to an opening of a radiator by a pipe in an electric vehicle. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-054444 (JP 2012-054444 A) discloses a technique to reduce flow path resistance in a U-shaped connecting pipe that connects two openings, for example. The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-232484 (JP 2003-232484 A) includes: a connector section having a stop section that is attachable to a cooling system and an elbow section at which a flow path is bent; and a pipe section that is continuous with the elbow section. In addition, JP 2003-232484 A discloses a flow path port for the cooling system in which the pipe section and the connector section are integrally molded by die casting. This technique exhibits an excellent effect in terms of workability of the flow path port.